Tanomi

Located only a stone throw away from Lidcombe station, this Japanese restaurants resides inside a house on the main street. I recall visiting this place when it use to be an overpriced Korean Restaurant... which probably explains why it's no longer here.

What you'll find about the food here is it comes out pretty. We spent an absurd amount of time trying to capture the food in all it's glory but with their pendant lights causing shadows and our lack of photography experience.. we eventually accepted the truth and dived into the food.

I ordered the Sashimi on Rice with Hot Chili Source (I'm assuming they meant sauce). There was a strong taste of sesame oil through the assortment of sashimi, the entire dish comprised mainly of vegetables and rice. Accompanied on the side was a bowl of chili sauce and miso soup. I found it overall quite dry to eat because the salad had no dressing... but it felt odd to drown it in the dense chili sauce. On the positive note, the sashimi tasted of a good quality... and the dish reminded us of the Poke Bowls in Hawaii.

My wife opted for their Unagi on Rice. The eel was full of flavour and melted in your mouth. The great thing was there was enough sauce to combine with the rice and the salad, including a few sprinkles of ginger, onion, shallots and seaweed topped off the dish.

One of my friends had the Butaku No Kakuni - 36 hours Pork Belly, Shitake Mushrooms, Leek, Spinach, Baby Chard, Leek Oil, Miso Powder and Ginger Mayo. I managed to score a piece to share with my wife and instantly regretted my dish. The pork was cooked to perfection... and the flavours left me with no complaints... and that's hard to do.... I highly recommend this if you do intend to dine here.

My other friend had the Salmon Steak - Grilled Salmon, Grilled Seasonal vegatable and mash potato. 

The layout had a slight reminiscent of the old Korean Restaurant... but they really tried to make it their own. They don't offer much seating but there didn't seem to be enough customers to cause a line... plus the fact that we rocked up as a group of 5 with no booking on a Saturday night.

The customer service was friendly, polite and efficient. They all thanked us as we left the restaurant... but they did so in English... not the typical Japanese greetings. My only other gripe is the whole place felt a bit fusion... well more so the menu...

With the price tag slightly on the higher end... and the meal sizes slightly on the smaller end... I left feeling a bit hungry but still happy and content with the quality of the food and service. Definitely recommend a try as it's one of the only few standout offerings in Lidcombe dining...